Metallurgical apparatus



Aug. '8, 1944. w. E. MOORE METALLUHGICAL APPARATUS Filed Aug. 16, 1945 Patented Aug'. 8, 1944 UNITI-:D sTArEs-PA-TENT orrlcs Willhmllnorerittslmrghla. m1108210!! Aw 1, lm, s-eflIlNQ. $8,751.

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This invention relates in general to metallurgical apparatus.' and'is particularly applicable to the structure and arrangement of electric furnacesinconnec'tion with which it will be de scribed, although it is to be understood that it is also applicable to other metallurgical units than electric furnaces.

More particularly, the invention is directed to certain improvements in the structure and organization of electric furnaces in batteryinstallations, that is, installations that comprise a holding furnace in which molten metal is rened or rendered homogeneous and one or more melting furnaces that supply the holding furnace.

Inmeltingandreflnlngmetalbytbeuseof electric furnaces there are certain situations where it is desirable to employ multi-stage op- This ' tr'ally` disposed between two spaced metal brach.

By virtue of the improvements of my inven tion, an operator may melt down the charge in one furnace, for example an acid furnace, and pour the melt directly intok another furnace, for example a basic furnace. where the metal may `lie refined and held until needed. 'Ihe melting furnace may conveniently be a high speed heavy demand electric furnace which may be operated at convenient intervals. Buch va furnace could wellbea3000k.w.furnaceofsay6tonsca pacity. 'I'he holding or refining `furnace may conveniently be a 500 k. w. low demand furnace of say 10 tons capacitywa furnace which is decidedly cheaper to operate than the aforesaid melting furnace.

The melting furnace is arranged closely adi cent to the refining furnace andiln such position that the contents of the melting furnace can be poured directly into the holding furnace. without intermediate handling of the metal.

ligureiis a`v of still another furnace arrangement. l y

In the drawing. l'igurel'shows a multi-stage irietal-redning unit, includingv two electric furnaces generally designated A and B respectively. lhe furnaces are each of conventional design and are arranged onebehind the other. Both furnaces are preferably of the nose-tilt type auch as is shown and described in Moore. United States IettersPatentNo.2,301,587.v

The melting furnace Bia preferably an arc furnace of the top includes s vinstal shelled crucible i0. a removable roof it through which the 'electrodes i! pass into the furnace crucible. and ja pouring or discharge 1 spout Il. The discharge spout, which is in cornmunieauon with the interior or the furnaeepmjects from the front of the furnace and iscenets il,'each of which isrigidly secured to the furnace shell. The outer ends of the brackets Il are pivoted by means of allned bearing pins il to the upper ends of spaced apart supporting metal brackets il. which rest on a foundation I1, whose upper horisontalsurface may be un derstood to form the work door of the shop in which the installation is operated. -The furnace may be tilted around the bearing pins `Il to the pouring position shown in broken lines and designated by the numeral It, by means of a paix'v of hydraulic jacks il, arranged symmetrically on each vsiele of the furnace and to the rear of the center line. A suitable Jack arrangement for this purpose is illustrated and described in my co-pending application for United States Lettera Pltenterlal N. 414,661, led October 11,-

' 194i, entitled Furnace tilting device.l

The drawing shows an exemplary embodiment Srangement, arid` The holding furnace A is generally similar to furnace B and similar parts bear the same ref erence numerals, Abut with the letter a aiiixed vto each. The roof lia may be nxed to the furnace body, as I prefer to use a side charge type of furnace, through the door 2l of which, chargemodifying materials, such as various alloying metals, may be introduced to the burden. The furnace A also has a receiving spout 2l, bellshaped as shown in Figure 2, which projects rearwardly from the furnace and diametrically opposite the pouring spout. l

In the arrangement illustrated in Figure l. the longitudinal axes of the furnace are in line. By the longitudinal axis of a furnace I mean the axis passing through the center of the furnace and at right angles to the alined axes. of th pivot pins Il.

Turning to a consideration of the features in which my invention is centered, it will be noted that the two tilting furnaces A and B, arranged in tandem/have their pivot points Il and Ila located above the work floor (l1) of the shop. Indeed, in this case the two pivot points are at the same absolute elevation. The pivot point Ila of the first furnace is located above the pouring spout lia at the front end' of the first furnace is located above the pouring spout Ila at the front end of the first furnace A, whereby the center of gravity of the furnace is below the pivot point. The second furnace B has its pivot point Il located below the pouring spout Il at the front end of the furnace, whereby the second furnace stands at higher elevation than the first furnace,

this without the necessity of providing a twostory shop building. Due to the particular organization described, the pouring spout il of the second furnace, normally standing -clear of the receiving spout 2| of the first furnace, is,

by the elevation of the rear end of said second disposed to the longitudinal axis of the other.

Such an arrangement is shown in Figure 3, the melting furnace bearing the numeral 22 and the holding furnace bearing the numeral 2|.

The apparatus has been described as including two nose-tilting electric furnaces of the arc type, but other types of furnaces can be employed and other tilting mechanism. In Figure 4, there is shown a unit which includes three furnaces, two melting furnaces 25 and 26 and one holding furnace 2l. No matter what arrangement of furnaces comprises the unit or battery, it is essential that' the melting furnace or furnaces be disposed so that the contents thereof can be discharged directly into the holding furnace.

In practice the charge is melted, usually rapidly, in the melting furnace and then poured directly, by tilting, into the adjoining holding or receiving furnace. The molten metal can be further treated or alloyed in the holding furnace, and held as long as desirable by the application of relatively small power to the furnace electrodes, and then poured as desired in large or small quantities. Such an operation is conducive to low costs and produces a superior metal may be melted (a high power-consuming operation) at an opportune time of low power rates, as at night, and then poured into the refining or holding furnace for further refining and treating (a low power consuming operation) at a lower power cost, whether at high day rates or low night rates, and poured at any convenient time. Marked economies result from this practice.

While I have illustrated and described certain preferred embodiments of my invention it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and that various changes in the apparatus and practice may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

The application for this patent comprised a continuation-impart of my application Serial No. 416,528, nled October 25. 1941.

I claim as my invention:

1. A metallurgical apparatus comprising two electric furnaces arranged in tandem, a pouring spout at the forward end of each of said furnaces, and a pivotal support at the forward end of each furnace. the pivot points for both furnaces being above work floor level, with tbe pivot point for the first furnaces above the level of the spout, whereby the center of gravity of the first furnace is below its pivot point, the second furnace having its pivot point below the spout, whereby the second furnace stands at higher elevation than the first furnace and the pouring spout of the second furnace moves closer to the first furnace when the rear end of said second furnace is elevated, the first furnace havin a rearwardly extending spout over which the spout of the second furnace moves when said second fumaceissotilted.

2. A metallurgical apparatus comprising two electric furnaces arranged in tandem, a pouring spout at the forward end of each of said furnaces, and a pivotal support at the forward end of each furnace, the pivot points for both furnaces being at substantially the same 'absolute elevation, with the pivot point for the first furnaces above the level of the spout, whereby the center of gravity of the first furnace is below its pivot point, the second furnace having its pivot point below the spout, whereby the second furnace stands at higher elevation than the nrst furnace and the pouring spout of the second furnace moves closer to the first furnace when the rear end of said second furnace is elevated, the first furnace havingia rearwardly extending spout over winch the spout of the second furnace moves when said second furnace is so tilted.

3. A metallurgical apparatus comprising an electric holding furnace of relatively large capacity and a melting furnace of smaller capacity, the two furnaces being arranged in tandem, a pouring spout at the forward end of each furnace. and a pivotal support at the forward end of each furnace, the pivot points for both furnaces being above work noot level, with the pivot of the holding furnace above the level of its spout. whereby the center of gravity of the holding furnace is below its pivot point, the melting furnace having its pivot point below its spout, with the effect that the melting furnace stands at higher elevation than the holding furnace and the pouring spout of the melting furnace moves closer to the holding furnace when the rear end of said melting furnace is elevated. the holding fumnce having a rearwardly extending spout that stands clear of the spout at the forward end of the melting furnace but over which the spout of said melting furnace moves when the melting furnace is tilted as said.

4. A metallurgical apparatus comprising an electric holding furnace of relatively large capacity and a melting furnace of smaller capacity, the two furnaces being arranged in tandem, a pouring spout at the forward end of each furnace, and a pivotal support at the forward end of each furnace, the pivot points for both furnaces being above work floor level and at substantially the same absolute elevation, with the pivot of the holding furnace above the level of its spout, whereby the center of gravity of the holding furnace is below its pivot point, the melting furnace having its pivot point below its spout, with the effect'that the melting furnace stands at higher elevation than the holding furnace and the pouring spout of the melting furnace moves closer to the holding furnace when the rear end of said melting furnace is elevated, the holding furnace having a rearwardly extending spout that stands clear of the spout at the forward end of the melting furnace but over which the spout of said melting furnace moves when the melting furnace is tilted as said.

WILLIAM E. MOORE. 

